Arm rest



Nov. 7, 1939. w R HAINES 7 2,178.788

ARM REST Filed March 30, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 7, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT FFlCE;

ARM REST William R. Haines, Long Beach, Calif. Application March 30,1938, Serial No. 198,907

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an arm rest furnished with improved means forbeing adjusted to and from projecting and pendant positions.

Although the invention is more particularly intended to be installedupon an automobile to afford arm rests for the occupants thereof, yet itis capable of being used in a variety of other situations, withoutdeparting from its scope as defined by the claim. 1

Among the objects of the invention are to provide more dependable andeasily operable means for adjustably mounting an arm rest; to provide,in combination with other improved features a reversible arrangement ofparts so as to render a single pattern of arm rest mountable upon eitherthe right or left interior side of an automobile, and to provide animproved slidably operable releasing means to unlock the shelfpreparatory to adjusting it from a projecting to a pendant position, orvice versa.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will hereinafterappear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates what is atpresent deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a view showing the device partly in plan and partly intransverse section, on line l-I of Fig. 2, the adjacent portion of thewall to which the device is attached also being sectioned.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device, showing the same independentlyof a support, and looking at the side thereof away from the support.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the device looking at 35 the same reversedfrom the showing thereof in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical mid-section of the device on line 44 of Fig. 1,showing the same in the attached position, the adjacent portion of the40 wall to which it is attached being also shown in section. This viewis on a larger scale than the remaining views.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the twin brackets or hangers viewingthe same as shown in Fig. 4 apart from the structures adjacent thereto.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the shelf portion of the arm restconsists, by preference and as shown, of a swingably mounted metallicplate 10, having attached to its upper (when in the extended position)face a cushion means ll supported by a wooden or other base member I2;and including also the trunnion or pivot structures l4 and I5. As viewedin Fig. 4, said plate II) has a flange 2U directed upwardly from itsfree edge at a right angle thereto, and along its hinged side a flangewhich is angular in cross section, having a lower portion 2| extendingupwardly and an upper portion 22 extending toward the wall 23 by whichthe device is supported. Also at each end of the shelf l0 there is aflange 24, which is a continuation of the flange 20, one of these endflanges being shown in Fig. 4.

Describing more in detail the cushion means H, the base member I2, is arather thick plate of rigid material having a chamfer 25 along the lowerpart of its free and end edges, and a deeper chamfer 26 along the lowerportion of its hinged edge. The chamfers afford a loose fit of the basemember upon and within the flanged portion of the plate Ill so that,when the padding 28 is enclosed within the facing sheet 29 the loweredge portions of said sheet may be gripped between the plate flanges andbase as shown in Fig. 4. Attaching tacks 30 are shown securing thefacing sheet 29 to the base member I 2, and screws 3 I, one

of which is shown in Fig. 4, may be used to see cure the base member l2to the plate 10.

Identically constructed end brackets or hangers and 36 are shown tosupport the swingable portion of the structure upon the wall 23, each ofsaid hangers having apertured attaching ears 3! and between these ears abody portion 38 having through it a passage 39 which is polygonal(desirably square) in cross-section, and having at the outer end of suchpassage a housing portion 40 into which is projectable the trunnion It(or IE) at that side of the arm rest. As the outer end portions of thetrunnions necessarily occupy a spaced relation to the wall to which thedevice is attached, these housing portions safeguard against coats orwrappers catching upon the end portions of said trunnions, as well asotherwise protecting them.

Each of the trunnions I l and I5 is partly circular and partly square(or polygonal) in crosssection, the square portion Ma of the trunnion l4being its outer end portion while its round portion 14b is nearer to itsbase, there being a reverse arrangement of the square portion [5a andround portion I51) of the trunnion I5. I

When the device is put into its operative position the hangers 35 and 36are attached to the wall sufiiciently far apart to allow for shiftingthe plate II) in an endwise, horizontal manner in such a way assimultaneously to render both of the trunnions rotatable or elsenon-rotatable within the hangers, a traction spiral spring beingprovided which tends to maintain the plate I 0 and its trunnions shiftedto the nonswingable condition whether said plate is in the extended ordependent position. The recess Illa: afforded between the inner angle ofthe angularly related flanges 2| and 22 provides an operating clearancefor the coiled portion of the spring 45. This construction not onlyaffords a sheath for the spring 45 at all time, but it also makes itpossible to mount said spring substantially in axial alinement with thetrunnions, where its contractile force will be exerted in the mosteflicient manner. By constructing the parts adjacent to the spring 45 insuch a manner that the angularly related flanges along the attached edgeof the arm rest plate Ill form wall portions of said recess the machinework which would otherwise be required in constructing a housing forsaid spring is eliminated. Said flanges are formed by a die and may bestamped out with great rapidity. The intermediate flange 2| and terminalflange 22 are well shown in Fig. 4 in their relation to the spring 45.

The twin bracket 36 (see Fig. 5) is shown having an angular recess 4| inthe center of its basal portion through which passes the attaching arm45a. of the spring 45, said arm of the spring being shown having acircular loop 4512 which extends loosely around the trunnion I5.

The recess 4| consists of a notch cut across the mid-length portion ofthe Wall-engaging side of each bracket, the entire side, except for itsnotched portion, abutting against the wall when its attaching screws arein place. The attaching portion 450. of the spring 45 is anchored to thebearing portion of the bracket 36 by reason of the fact that its loop45b surrounds the circular part of the adjacent trunnion and abutsagainst the apertured portion of said bracket 36.

I claim:

In a device of the kind described, an arm rest plate having a trunnionprojecting from each end thereof, each of said trunnions as viewed incross section having a round portion and a polygonal portion withangularly related sides, two brackets secured to a wall in a parallel,spaced apart relation to each other, each of said brackets having asocket with angularly related sides which alines with the socket of theother, each polygonal trunnion portion having a slidable nonturnable fitin the socket at its side of the device, said plate being shiftable tobring said polygonal portions of said trunnions into or out ofengagement with said sockets whether said plate is in a projecting or apendent position, and a spiral tension spring extending between one ofsaid brackets and said plate, said brackets having straight wallabutting sides except for being notched in their mid-length portions,thus providing clearances under the applied brackets, a portion of saidspring passing through the notch of one of said brackets, said springhaving a loop portion which encircles one of said trunnions and has abearing on a shoulder formed on the inside of one of said brackets, saidspring tending to shift said plate into the position wherein its saidtrunnions are non-turnable in relation to said brackets.

WILLIAM R. HAINES.

